This disc is the grand finale in Hyperion's award-winning series of recordings presenting the symphonies of Robert Simpson - hailed by The Independent as, 'surely about the most imposing symphonic cycle in progress'.

'Matthew Taylor secures magnificent playing from the City of London Sinfonia, especially in the symphony where his pacing is ideal, due to his knowledge of the work - it was written for him and the orchestra. The Nielsen Variations purr along splendidly. An utterly marvellous disc, which I cannot recommend highly enough' (Gramophone)

'the performance by the City of London Sinfonia is excellent, the gifted conductor Matthew Taylor (himself a composer) creating the illusion that the piece is already key repertoire and that he's known it all his life. Good to know this CD completes the Simpson symphonic canon on Hyperion' (The Independent)

'one of the most important symphonic cycles of recent years. Here Matthew Taylor, the work's dedicatee, draws a deeply understanding performance from the City of London Sinfonia, bringing out Simpson's characteristic combination of taut intellectual argument and intense emotion' (The Guardian)

'In lieu of live shows, please buy any or all of the Hyperion Simpson discs. Buy the Ninth Quartet, the First Quartet, the Third and Fifth Symphonies, the Second or Fourth, all the quartets, all the symphonies. Start here with the Nielsen Variations if you like. But start soon, or you'll miss a lifetime's inspiration. This is serious music, through which one determined Englishman hurled down the gauntlet to the self-regarding second half of the 20th century, and helped justify once more music's claim to be the most elevating, questing, and stimulating accompaniment to the life we all lead' (Fanfare, USA)

'The recordings are entirely worthy of the playing, and of the music. It's hard to imagine a more fitting memorial tribute to Hyperion's Ted Perry, whose faith and tenacity of purpose made this whole project possible. Strongly recommended' (BBC Music Magazine)

'The Hyperion label's commitment to Robert Simpson, the feisty conservative among postwar British composers has been unstinting ... The polyphonic textures of the eleventh symphony intrigue, especially in Matthew Taylor's polished performance with the City of London Sinfonia' (The Times)

'This CD couples two very important works by a major twentieth century symphonist ... If your local orchestra can play Haydn and Mozart symphonies they can play this one, but as the publishers have not seen fit to publish a score, and are unlikely to do so, your best bet is to get this record, dedicated to the memory of Hyperion's founder and lifelong friend of Simpson, Ted Perry' (International Record Review)

'Altogether a magnificent recording, then, and I recommend it enthusiastically. Simpson's music is always absolutely honest, as was the man; like him, too, it is tough and uncompromising. But he also had a gruff sense of humour and a profound sense of the demands of humanism. These characteristics of the man illuminate the music. We are the richer for it' (Fanfare, USA)